New app for Android notifies loved ones if taken into custody


A new smart phone application "Gözaltındayım" (I am in custody) has been developed by Atölye 15, a software company creating web-based projects for startups and enterprises. The creative Android application allows users to send location details to three different people in the event they are taken into custody. Bearing similarities with "I'm Getting Arrested," an application inspired by a real Occupy Wall Street incident, the new software enables users to reach family members and friends through message. Speaking to the BBC, Atölye 15 founder Oğuz Güç said the application is currently available for Android phones, and that its iOS version is to be released soon.

The team designed the software in three weeks and do not seek any profit from it as the application is available for free download. Güç said the project was a leisure activity for his team. The application is also easy to use. Users are required to register their phone numbers and then enter the numbers of three people to receive an SMS in the event of an emergency. The application does not work via Internet network, merely SMS. In case of custody, users just click on the application and their location will be sent via SMS to the selected people.